All three Democratic presidential front-runners are intelligent and thoughtful.
All speak to strong party desires to pull U.S. troops from Iraq, reform health care and address environmental problems.
But Democrats voting in California's Feb. 5 primary don't have three votes to cast -- they have one.
It was a tough choice, but we recommend that Sen. Barack Obama receive that vote.
It may be trite to use words that have been bandied about during this campaign, but a vote for Obama is a vote for change.
On the night of his victory in Iowa, the Illinois senator told Americans, "This was the moment when we finally beat back the policies of fear and doubts and cynicism, the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up."
For Americans parched from years of divisiveness, Obama's vision of a country united around a common purpose is like a cool drink of water.
The other candidates have much to offer, too. The centerpiece of former Sen. John Edwards' campaign is a proposal to end what he calls the "two Americas" -- citizens divided by income disparity and job and educational opportunities. The son of a millworker, Edwards speaks from the heart when he talks about the problems of rural America and the difficulties of getting by on a minimum wage job.
As the first serious female presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton is an inspiration to millions of women struggling to take that next step on the ladder to success. She promises a return to the progressive policies that boosted the middle class and provided low-income families with new opportunities.
But as commentator Andrew Sullivan writes in the Dec. 10 issue of The Atlantic, both Edwards and Clinton are burdened by their birth dates. As baby boomers, they both represent the battles over the last war -- Vietnam -- and all the baggage that went with it.
As boomers, their ability to heal the post-1960s division of the country is limited: Edwards gained political prominence as the 2004 running mate of John Kerry, whose candidacy centered on his history as a Vietnam veteran who eventually opposed the war.
Clinton may always be defined by her activist years at Wellesley. More critically, Clinton is burdened with the vestiges of her husband's mistakes -- and of the hatred that the couple engenders among many Republicans.
And then there is the dynasty problem: If Clinton is elected, at the end of her four-year term, the country will have been ruled by two families for 24 years.
Obama is technically a boomer, too, but by the time he came of age, the '60s were over. His battles aren't about the past -- they are about the nation's future.
Obama provides Democrats the best hope of giving the nation change and a new start. He speaks with eloquence and passion, qualities that are sorely lacking among the nation's leaders. He also speaks to moderate America. He built a reputation in the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate for working in a bipartisan fashion to build consensus and resolve issues. He also has a cross-party appeal that, fair or not, Hillary Clinton lacks.
Finally, we also believe, contrary to the opinion of some, that Obama can win this nomination. Some believe America is not ready for a black man to be president. We believe the greatest risk is letting -- either through fear or prejudice -- that opinion prevail.
We don't endorse Obama for the Democratic nomination because he is African American. We don't endorse him because he is a man. He receives our endorsement because we believe he is the best candidate for the nomination.
In his Iowa speech, Obama promised, "I'll be a president who . . . restores our moral standing, who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st century."
Of the Democrats, Obama is best positioned to keep that promise. The Press Democrat recommends Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic primary Feb. 5.
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